Field
Embodiments relate to connecting set top boxes to access points. More particularly, embodiments relate to providing connectivity for set top boxes to Internet access points in areas where there is little or no access to the Internet or telephone service so that callback data can be sent to a television service provider.
Background
Modern television service providers provide service using set top boxes (STBs). As is well known, television signals from terrestrial or extraterrestrial sources are processed by the set top box and transmitted to a television set for presentation of television programming to a viewer. For a number of reasons, television service providers may desire or require information from subscribers or deployed set top boxes. This is often provided using callbacks to send data files containing the information to the television service provider.
A callback allows a set top box to send data to the television service provider in a data file. For example, a set top box may use a pay per view (PPV) callback to send pay per view selections to the television service provider. In response to the PPV callback, the television service provider makes the selected PPV programs available to the subscriber, and bills the subscriber accordingly. In addition, callbacks may be used to send data collected by the set top box to the television service provider. Such information can include data related to viewer purchases such as pay per view selections, data related to audience measurements, such as subscriber viewing preferences, viewing patterns, navigation guide patterns, and the like. In addition, the set top box may collect diagnostic information to determine the health of the set top box, including for example, memory usage, CPU usage and the like.
In general, a callback is transmitted to the television service provider over a data network using, for example, IP or other data network communication protocol. Unfortunately, many areas of the world currently have a low penetration of data network connectivity. One possible solution is to connect the set top box to a telephone network and send data to the television service provider using the telephone system. This too is problematic. In practice, in many parts of the world, only a fraction of deployed set top boxes are connected to a telephone network.
Due to the unavailability of callbacks, television service providers lose revenue, for example, by not being able to get pay per view orders. In such cases, the television service provider must resort to less efficient technologies, such as short messaging service (SMS) or telephone orders. However, such technologies are inconvenient for the subscriber, who may not use them as readily as a simple selection on the set top box, and significantly more costly to the television service provider. The unavailability of callbacks also makes obtaining valuable information that can be used for system monitoring, such as audience viewing patterns and set top box diagnostic information, more difficult, if not impossible.
In general, modern set top boxes provide for callback functionality. That is, modern set top boxes can generate the data files that can be transmitted to the television service provider. However, this callback functionality cannot be exploited in environments that have limited or no access to a data network or the telephone system.